Archive for May, 2006

Posted by Eric (May 24, 2006 at 1:30 pm)

A few Saturdays ago day I beheld a delightful thing: three little girls were dancing around together in an open space in one of the party rooms of a restaurant. They were dressed up in fancy dresses and I suppose it made them feel like princesses of ballerinas. Their dance somehow combined elegant pirouettes with the bunny hop. A fourth, much littler girl tentatively tried to join in while the little brother of one of girls watched them, gleefully giggling at their silly, joyful dance.

I was considering hunting down my own littler girlsâ€”our whole family were guests at the partyâ€”to see if they would like to join in the dancing too, when one of the grown ups, an aunt or perhaps a wicked step-mother, came upon the little group and ordered them to stop. “This is neither the time nor the place for dancing,” she said. “You can sit down together and talk, or quietly play a game.”

Posted by Eric (May 17, 2006 at 6:44 pm)

We’ve got a new frontrunner for the Stupidest Thing I’ve Read This Year Award (previously held by “Spiritually, the guitar is the bedfellow of the kazoo”). Here’s The Da Vinci Code director Ron Howard (via Barbara Nicolosi):

To deny the right to see the film is a fascist act.

My wife April’s reply to this this weird statement: “Who’s trying to deny anyone the right to see The Da Vinci Code?”

My answer: “The guy at the ticket booth, if you don’t fork over your eight bucks. I guess he’s a fascist.”

Now I have a “right” to see The Da Vinci Code. You can toss it in the bucket with the other new rights that I’ve been hearing about lately, such as my right to pay less for car insurance, to have a full head of thick, luxurious hair and to earn a six figure income from my living room whilest wearing my pajamas.

Posted by Eric (May 11, 2006 at 4:51 pm)

I want to alert readers of Square Zero that I’ve just published an article at Generations for Life addressing the notion that pro-lifers, especially we pro-life activists, are “filled with hate” in all that we do. This is the first installment in a series of articles debunking the myths that people believe about pro-lifers and the pro-life movement. (You can read the introduction to the series here.) Comments welcome here or at Generations for Life.

Posted by Eric (May 11, 2006 at 1:10 am)

When it comes to me and Eastern Christianity, I’m something like a newlywed: I’m in giddy with love and most sincerely committed, but still have a lot to learn about this mysterious Other. This is especially true when it comes to Eastern theology, particularly on the issue of marriage and the related questions of divorce and contraception.

Fortunately, there are smart guys like Karl Schudt out there to help me along. (more…)

Posted by Eric (May 9, 2006 at 1:18 pm)

You’ve heard it a thousand times before: the Church demands that you “check your mind at the door.”

The first thing that’s wrong with this phrase, and which reveals the mind set of those who employ it, is the very idea that going in or out a door has anything to do with religious faith.

Yes, I realize this is a metaphorical door, but even so it must be a metaphor for somethingâ€”for the line between the religious aspect of one’s life and all the rest, all that which hasn’t anything to do with religious faith.

If you’re drawing lines like that, you’ve already checked your mind at some other door, possibly your bedroom doorâ€”you were already handicapped before you made it to the kitchen.